A 21st Century American Violinist. Classically-trained and influenced by rock, Bobby produces legendary dance parties, tributes classic rock, and performs his all-original symphonic songs on the violin surrounded by instrumentalists who share his madness for good music played with deftness. And, he refuses to play an electric.

"Onstage, Bobby Yang transforms into a leaping fireball that spews blazing, virtuosic rock music. No tepid crossover pabulum from this classically trained prodigy. Yang is the real thing, and the raw expressive energy of rock is as much the core of his musical soul as Mozart, perhaps more so."

-Mark Gresham, Creative Loafing, Atlanta, Georgia

-----------------------------

“Great artists master their art, then transform it. Bobby Yang can play anything, Paganini or Hendrix, Bach or Van Halen, but he doesn't just play; he digs down and creates, imagines, and communicates. The result is a total experience that can leave an audience spellbound and breathless.”

“People - regardless of age, race, or gender - recognize and love true talent and heartfelt passion. That is why people love Bobby Yang. He never fails to captivate an audience, whether it is an audience of 1 or 10000.”

“All other ensembles pale in comparison to the energy and vitality of Bobby Yang and his Unrivaled Players. I am in complete awe of Bobby’s talent and creativity... his reinterpretation of the instrument is thrilling to witness.”

Recently, on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” a Detroit native named Sonia Lee played a rock-inflected classical piece on a violin that judge Piers Morgan compared to “when kids run their fingernails against a chalkboard.”

Too bad the 10 million viewers couldn’t have seen Atlanta’s Bobby Yang, who did two packed gigs Friday night at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. Yang, 33, is a brilliant, classically trained rock violinist who can listen to an Eddie Van Halen solo a couple of times and copy it with verve and emotion. (Yang said a video of him riffin’ on Van Halen’s “Eruption” is readily available online and has been viewed millions of times.)

“I want the violin to be important in rock music,” he told Buzz on Saturday.

Yang, who was on Fox’s short-lived talent show “30 Seconds to Fame” in 2001, actually considered going on “America’s Got Talent” but found the release form too restrictive.

In a 13-song run during Friday night’s late show that focused on classic rock, he and his tight three-piece band featured a jaw-dropping “Hot for Teacher,” an elegiac version of Def Leppard’s “Photograph” and his signature, mesmerizing take on Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” With flowing, blond-tinted locks and a goofy green T-shirt with the phrase “Yang It,” he was a bundle of intense energy onstage. The bow, he said, “is the extension of my soul.”

Like many Asian-American kids, he was forced by his parents to play the violin. But when they wanted him to be an engineer, he stuck with the violin, working under respected strings guru Paul Kantor at the University of Michigan. Kantor led Yang to Aspen, Colo., where he became a fixture on the music scene, crossing paths with A-list celebs such as Jack Nicholson, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and Kevin Costner.

He moved to Atlanta in 2002, where he ended up working with Collective Soul and Butch Walker. Yang credits his increasing local exposure to 96rock’s the Regular Guys, who have had him on several times, but he frequently flies to Colorado to play gigs for big shots, including Costner a couple weeks ago. In the meantime, Yang’s working with former “American Idol” contestant Vanessa Olivarez, who told Buzz on Friday he was part of her new alt-country band South 70.

----------------------------

The Dallas Morning News

Dallas, TX

by Joy Tipping

"[Kevin Costner] also has a crackerjack band backing him; it’s a shame we didn’t get to hear more solo work from Modern West, especially fiddler Bobby Yang, who totally tore up the stage."

----------------------------

Omaha World-Herald

Omaha, NE

by Kevin Coffey

"One standout band member was fiddler Bobby Yang, who stole the show every time he was featured. He spent most of the set quietly playing away, deftly adding notes to each song without being overpowering. He was given the chance to shine with a few solos, and was most impressive during a lengthy section of the song "Down in Nogales."

----------------------------

WKLS 96.1 FM

Atlanta, GA

The Regular Guys

"Rock violin has proven to be quite the kick ass genre as we learned today from Mr. Bobby Yang and his band."

----------------------------

Strings Magazine

by David Templeton

"From Haydn to Hendrix, Bobby Yang is ready to rock the string world… [Bobby is] the fire and fury of modern violinists."

----------------------------

WWMY 102.9FM

Raleigh, NC

The Jack Boston Morning Show

"Bobby Yang shreds that fiddle, taking bow in hand and ripping solos. You won't believe your ears. He seriously kicks ass! Bobby is working 10 times harder in the studio than our young, Western slackers. It's only a matter of time..."

----------------------------

KKND 106.7FM

New Orleans, LA

The Ron & Don Morning Show

"Bobby Yang is incredible. The first time I saw him play I fell out of my chair. Listening to him play makes me want to learn how to play the violin."

----------------------------

Creative Loafing

Atlanta, GA

Winner, Best Local Instrumentalist

“Whether leaping burning Led Zeppelin riffs or standing still enough to balance a bar glass on his head while zooming through a Paganini, violinist BOBBY YANG has gotten noticed in Atlanta during the few short years since moving here from Aspen, Colo. A musician of genuine range and depth, Yang is fully engaged in his performance, whether rock or classical. Some critics may dis violin as a delicate instrument with itty-bitty strings, but Yang makes it rock true with a signature style in live concert, without the tepid pabulum that comes from so many billed as “crossover” artists and without merely throttling your brain with sheer volume.”

----------------------------

The Washington Post

Washington, DC

by Buzz McClain

"[songs were] shot through with lightning by Bobby Yang who sawed his violin as if it were on fire."